The Portland daily press., 1887-09-01
FRANK McNEALLY'S CRIME.
Robbery of the Saco and Biddeford
Savings Institution.
Securities to the Amount of $27e,-
900 Stolen.
Fast Living Ends in a Trip to the
Dominion.
ISpecial to the Press.l

| Savings Institution, established in 1927 the
oldest and one of the strongest banks of de-
| posit in Maine, is the victim, and Frank c.
McNeally is the absconder The treasurer
| of the institution was aware of the fact
Tuesday morning, but the strictest secresy
in the matter was kept until this morning.
when the first intimation reached the public
ear The news travelled like the wind and
when the bank doors were opened at 9
o'clock today many anxious depositors were
waiting to present their deposit books and
withdraw their money. Treasurer NJ III.
Kelly drafted in rough characters upon a
huge piece of wrapping paper the following
notice:
| TO DEPosIToRs:
Notwithstanding all stories to the contrary.
stake my word and honor tP at this bank Is safe
| and no cause for alarm to dcpositors.
N. H. KELLY, Treas.
This alleviated the minds of many of the
depositors, but 1t did not stop the influx of
| bank books waiting to be turned into cash.
When the facts of the case were learned,
the run gradually lessened in extent, and in
all PROBABILITY tomorrow will not witness
more than the usual amount of cancelled de-
posits.
| ". IuC1NCdll1, tuG dpoCOuuluS ClCAhs
left a clerkship in Coker's dry goods store a
little over year ago and entered the bank
as an assistant to the cashier. He was a
handsome fellow, and favorite with every
| body He is only 10 years of age, but was
young man whose countenance was pic
ture of honesty and integrity. No one ques-
| toned his action when he at once launched
out with fine clothes, livery stable teams and
an abundance of pocket money. 1t was
taken for granted that his salary would adj
init of such extravaganza. But the fact is he
was working for only moderate wages, and
he was obliged to let some of his bills run
or borrow from his associates. He had not
evinced much interest in his work of late,
but the treasurer thought his interest would
increase as he became more accustomed to
the work, and nothing was said about it.
McNeally, it seems, had complained to some
Of his associates of his financial circum-
stances. He had experienced touch Of the
Western fever and had remarked within a
short time that September would probably
find him thousands of miles from here
Monday afternoon, Treasurer NJ. II. Kelly
was called to Kennebunk to adjust the
loss on a recent fire, as he was treasurer of
the insurance company, and the matter had
been left to him. He drove over in car
riage, leaving the bank few minutes before
closing hours, with instructions to the clerk
to settle up the business of the day and close
up the bank. The big vault door, with its
time lock, was open, but the inner vault,
where the cash and securities were kept,was
locked. No one but Treasurer Kelly and
President Goodale was supposed to be ac-
quainted with the combination to the inner
door. But McNeally had evidently done
some sharp scheming during the Treasurer's
visit to the post Office at some previous time,
and had examined into the secrets of the
combination. After Mr.. Kelley left on Mon |
day, odoHES"iis- -~r~-~a thA inner vault and |
took $500 in cash, $1S5,000 in United STATES |
registered per cent bonds, payable in 1907, |
and about $91 900 in railroad, city and other |
bonds just when he left the bank is not |
known. but he replaced the books without |
wasting any time on them, and locked the |
two doors of the vault.
The first man to discover his absence was |
John Haley, collector for the gas works, who |
has for a long time been an intimate friend |
of McNeally's. He and McNeally had ar
ranged to attend the theatre in Portland that
evening. Haley went in ON the Western Di-
vision, and McNeally was to have gone in ON
the Eastern, meeting his friend at the Port
land station. McNeally did not put in an
appearance, and after waiting for the arrival
of the evening train Haley returned to this
city and visited his friends home. Mrs. Nc
Neatly had not seen her son since noon. 1t
was thought that some accident had befallen
him on the river, but his pleasure boat was
found at the boat house.
Tuesday morning Mr.. Kelly was notified
of his clerks disappearance, and when the
bank was opened thorough search was
made to ascertain what loss the institution
had incurred from the mysterious affair. In
the afternoon the loss of the cash and the
bonds was discovered. Detective True was
telegraphed for and detectives put on the
track cf the missing clerk. Detective True
and Harry McNeally, a brother of the thief,
went to Portland together and there separ-
ated, the former going to Montreal and the
latter to Nova Scotia. Pinkerton's agency
was also wired and detectives sent out from
New York. package of photographs of
the young man was found in his drawer in
the office, and these were made excellent
use of by the detectives at work on the case.
1t is known that McNeally boarded west
bound train at the Biddeford station Mond ay
afternoon, but this is the only clue to his
leaving. 1t is thought by some that he went
to Boston and from there sailed for Nova
Scotia
The bank will not be crippled by the rob-
berry, even If cent is never recovered. The
The ,$1S5,OOo registered bonds can be of no
possible use to the thief, and means have
been taken to stop the sale of any of the
railroad or municipal bonds. Bank Ex-
aminer Richards has not yet arrived, but
the bank officers feel assured that the figures
quoted cover the total loss. As the loss is so
much less than the surplus fund, there need
be no apprehension on the part of depositors.
The last bank statement, under date of
March 16, 1887, placed the surplus at $685.
5O1 "a.
trustees are thoroughly worked sup over the
robbery, but they believe the young clerk
will be captured. McNeally's friends say he
is too proud to be brought back here alive.
He had on his person costly 32-calibre re-
vOlver.
TREASURY KELLY's STATEMENT.
To a reporter Treasurer Kelly of the
Bank, said:
sour securities are kept in safe in the
vault, the combination of which L am alone
supposed to possess, and in order to get at
the securities McNeally must have stolen my
combination, for am the only one that op-
ems the safe, and it is opened only about
the bonds" Here Treasurer Kelly took the
combination out Of his pocket and showed it
to the reporter. my theory is that some
time while we were engaged in cutting off
coupons may have gone over to the post
office and during my absence McNeally went
to the inner safe, took off the combination
and opening it, discovered my secret. That
is the only possible way of his learning the
combination that suggests itself to me-"
Concerning his trip to Kennebunk Mon.
day, Mr.. Kelly said he went partly on busi-
ness and partly for pleasure, that he ordered
team, which was driven up to the bank
about o'clock in the afternoon, and telling
| McNeally to close the bank at the usual hour,
something he had often done. he got into the
| team and drove off. Returning at night he
| said he went into the bank, and lit the gas as
| was his custom. At that time he noticed
| nothing out of the way.
The next morning McNeally's brother, Har-
| ry, came to him and asked him il he had seen
| Frank. and upon being told that he had not
said that he had not been at home since the
day before and his mother was worried al
most to death about him. Harry McNeally
then suggested that he had better look about
the bank and ascertain if everything was all
right. Treasurer Kelly said that he then
| went to the vault and finding that the three
| day lock was not set, he felt somewhat re-
| lieved. He then opened the vault, and was
| for the first time made aware that anything
had been stolen. Upon entering the vault
! he discovered that all of the cash except
1 Gonna ohanUa was fnicsina in amount oh,,,&